Cat Amongst The Pigeons A Possible Fifth Year
by Fuse Eternity
Summary: It is Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts, and something is terribly wrong. Odd things are happening and he is being blamed for them. Worst of all, even Dumbledore seems to believe that Harry is responsible.


Harry Potter Fanfiction : Harry Potter and the Spy at Hogwarts  
  
Chapter: One/?  
  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this fan fiction. J. K. Rowling does. Lucky her! Poor me! The only thing I own is the plot and the stairs in this fanfiction. Yes, those are my stairs.  
  
Rating: PG-13 at worse (For mild language), otherwise a mild G.  
  
Dedications and misc.: Stop nagging me! You know who you are! I'm writing as fast as I can darn it! I WOULD thank my beta-reader, but I won't. Why? Because. So there. =P Nyah nyah! You can't say anything about it either. Now what was I going to say again? O_O;; Oh yes, that's right. I'd like to thank myself, for turning out such a masterpiece. .-'' Enjoy.  
  
{ Sidenote: The author of this fanfiction would just like to say that the author was incredibly stressed at the time this fic was written (Many tests! No sleep! Who needs sleep? You just lie there. Sleep is time for studying.), and that the author appreciates the Beta-Reader's help. }  
  
|+| This fic will not contain any of the following: Yaoi, yuri, slash, lemon, lime, peach, raspberry, strawberry, cherries, apples, pears, persimmons, fruit of any kind, explicit language/scenes, proper spelling, a good plot, bad grammar, or rant-free dedications.  
  
|+| Reviews, comments, and emails are welcomed. Flames as well, but realize that just because you hate something in my story/stories doesn't mean that you have to curse or swear at me. I'm a reasonable person and I will take constructive criticism, but there is no excuse for rudeness or bad language.  
  
Beta-Reader: Blue Lady ( AKA Crazy Pencil. Go look up some of her stories. I swear that girl's keeping more chapters from me than she lets on. Grr! )  
  
Blue Lady: User ID #196857 ( If you do a search on her, it's the second name on the list... I think. }  
  
  
  
Harry stumbled down the last flight of steps on his way to the kitchen, where Aunt Petunia had been screeching for him to tend to the bacon non- stop for the last ten minutes. Yawning sleepily he flattened a fringe of hair so that it covered his scar and shuffled across the living room, and into the kitchen. Aunt Petunia's bony frame was hovering in front of the stove, where a large rasher of bacon was frying in a huge frying pan. "Look after it and make sure it doesn't burn!" She screeched, before dashing off to the packed fridge and pulling out a dozen eggs. Depositing them onto the counter she dashed off again, returning with a large bowl of pancake batter which she then poured into a waiting skillet.  
  
Harry yawned again and transferred the crispy pieces of bacon onto an enormous plate, shaking his head at the amount of fat which drained out of the frying pan. Behind him a mild scuffle ensued as Aunt Petunia rapidly fished the cooked pancakes out of the pan, while adding more batter into it. "Are they finished yet?" Once again Aunt Petunia's screech cut through the various sounds of breakfast cooking as she rapidly flipped more pancakes onto the plate. "Yeah they're done." Harry replied lazily, finding another, very small, plate and transferring one pancake onto it, as well as a small piece of bacon. "Eat quickly." Nodding at Aunt Petunia's command Harry forced down the rubbery pancake, washing it down with a glass of water.  
  
Behind him Dudley entered the kitchen, his pudgey face pulled into what he deemed to be a pitiful pout. "I'm hungry mummy!" He bawled, seating himself as far away from Harry as possible, by the far end of the square kitchen table. "Brekky is coming Dudders!" Aunt Petunia replied in a song-songy voice, sweeping past Harry to place one enormous plate of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and various condiments in front of her son. Dudley dug in with a vengence, shoving three large pancakes into his gaping mouth and swallowing without a thorough chew. Harry watched, amazed, as the pile of food slowly diminished under Dudley's voracious attack. A few moments later, as Harry soon tired of watching Dudley eat, he slipped from the kitchen table and silently began to exit the kitchen. Aunt Petunia, sensing rather than seeing Harry walk out, ignored him completely and attended to her precious Dudders, who had gotten into the tantrum position, his food reduced to mere scraps on the plate.  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief Harry slowly mounted the stairs, his fingers trailing along the smooth, cool banisters absently. Behind him piteous faked wails drifted from the kitchen, coupled with Aunt Petunia's smothered pleadings and offers of treats. Uncle Vernon was nowhere in sight, which was just as well, considering that it was Harry's birthday and he loathed the thought that people -like Harry- even existed in the world. The only good thing on this day was that inevitably presents from his friends would arrive. With this slightly cheerful thought in mind Harry climbed the last flight of stairs and retreated to his bedroom, a safe haven for him. Opening the curtains he repressed a small sigh, knowing that it would still be a few long weeks before school started.  
  
The world outside seemed oblivious to the gloom of one very special boy. The sun shone with an unmatched fevor, set like a large, bright jewel in the light blue sky. A mild wind chased the fluffy-looking, pale white clouds, buffeting them to and fro in the sky and ruffling the emerald-green leaves on trees. Below Aunt Petunia's gardens bloomed in a riot of color, the flowers planted there her namesake: petunias. Chaste green hedges surrounded houses like fences, small birds finding sanctuary in their leafy depths only to be chased away as workmen came to trim the plants. Various shutters were drawn but Harry could still see the slight openings, nosy neighbors behind them peering out at the outside world to catch sight of scandalous happenings, much as Aunt Petunia did in times of boredom.  
  
On the table beside him there lay a cage, in which a large snowy owl slept, head under its wing and dozing fitfully. Harry had covered it with one of his Hogwarts robes so that no light could penetrate through, something which Hedwig, the owl, appreciated very much. Lifting a corner of the robe Harry peered inside, a small smile making its way to the corners of his lips. He unlatched the cage door and reached inside, removing the now-empty water dish quietly and slipping it out. Reaching for the bottle of water he kept nearby Harry dumped the remaining drops of water into the garbage bin, filling it with clean water and replacing the dish, trying to avoid making any noises. He filled Hedwig's food dish then locked the door again, satisfied that the owl had not awakened. Harry returned to his solo watch on the world outside, throwing open the windows and letting the fresh air bat his tousled hair about.  
  
Several moments later there came a pounding on his door, coupled with Uncle Vernon's gruff voice, telling him that he should come downstairs immediately. Sighing Harry shuffled away from the window, but not before unlatching Hedwig's cage and leaving the window open, in case she felt like a mid-day flight. He opened the door and followed Uncle Vernon meekly downstairs, and into the pristine living room. There on the brand-new glass coffee table was a thick envelope, stamped with the Hogwarts crest of a snake, badger, raven, and lion all crowded around the letter H. "This came for you." Uncle Vernon grunted as he pointed to the package, his hand shaking slightly as though he feared that the package would self-destruct any moment, and send them all to their deaths. "Popped out of the toaster." His voice had taken a slightly nervous quality which amused Harry greatly as he watched the beet-red face of his uncle, and the tic that had developed at the corner of his left eye. "Get it and go back to your room." The muggle managed to gasp out at last, storming out of the room and into the kitchen. As the door opened Harry caught a brief glimpse of Aunt Petunia seated in a chair at the table, adding liberal amounts of whiskey to her coffee, and Dudley pressed against the far corner, hands clamped behind his massive back, a look of pure terror on his pudgey face. Chuckling softly Harry lifted his package from the table and loped up the stairs, shutting and locking the door behind him after he had entered the room.  
  
Once during the holidays Harry had allowed the corner of a piece of parchment to poke out from under his pillow. Uncle Vernon had seen it as he did his routine check of Harry's room, dashed down the stairs, and returned with a lighter with which he set fire to the parchment, nearly burning down the entire room in his haste. Another, and more memorable, time Harry had been chasing Dudley about with a piece of rolled-up paper which he made to look like a wand. Dudley's bellows of we're-gonna-die, and god-help-me- before-that-crazy-prat-turns-me-into-a-newt, had brought Uncle Vernon running to the scene with a metal bar in hand, which he then used to swing at the 'wand' -perhaps in the hopes that Harry would be in the way as well- and impaled it several times on the more pointed end of the bar before throwing his entire weight on it and flattening it. Aunt Petunia scurried about the house, drawing close curtains and windows while curious neighbours peeked out en masse to view the debacle in the Dursley household. As all the curtains had been drawn up no one could see a thing, but the closer neighbours could hear mad rantings and bellowings, coupled with loud thumping noises and bawling. One neighbour had even whipped out her binoculars, and had been looking through it happily until her husband came and confiscated it.  
  
Plopping down on the bed Harry carefully opened the package, dumping the contents of it onto his bed. He picked up the long parchment first, on which there was a neatly written letter bearing the Hogwarts coat of arms. Laying down the letter Harry then removed his glasses, polishing them on the hem of his shirt before putting it back and picking up the letter. It was basically the same as his previous ones, signed at the bottom by Professor MacGonagal, deputy Headmistress. Along with the letter was a list, containing the various books and equipment that he had to buy. This posed a slight problem as Harry was unable to get to Diagon Alley and find the required materials, but he was sure that Ron would be able to help out. Opposite him a slight noise could be heard as Hedwig popped her hear out of the cage, clicking her beak expectantly at him and ruffling her wings in a dignified sort of way. Smiling he nodded and rummaged through his pillowcase, coming up with a packet of Owl Treats that Hermione had sent over the holidays, for Hedwig. The owl glided softly onto his shoulder, waiting patiently to be hand-fed, and hooted happily as Harry did so, downing several before disappearing back into her cage to drink, then sleep again. Harry continued perusing through the two remaining pieces of parchment, one of them a short letter from Hagrid. It read as follows:  
  
Dear Harry  
  
How are yeh dear boy? Fifth year already eh? I know yer mum an' dad would be proud if they were still alive. This year's Care of Magical Creatures class will be better than last year's. Got some prime species ter show the class, an' I know you'd be interested to see 'em. Wonderful things, but I won't say any more. See you when school starts!  
  
Hagrid.  
  
Beside Hagrid's name there was a great print of a paw, no doubt Fang's contribution to the letter. The mention of 'prime species' set Harry on edge, knowing Hagrid's love for deadly creatures he would have animals larger than the students to show. Really anything with fangs, spikes, or deadly appendages appealed to Hagrid, and his motto regarding such things was 'the bigger the better': and it'd be a bonus if they breathed fire. Harry remembered the dragon that Hagrid had hatched out of an egg, which had nearly burnt down the shack that he lived in. Shaking his head he laid the letter aside with care, picking up the last and final parchment. It was a calendar outlining all the major events to happen at Hogwarts: Harry's brows arched as he saw that various seasonal dances that had been arranged, which were obviously a last-minute addition. Glancing to the clock by his bedside Harry took note of the time, just a little before noon, then slipped all the pieces of parchment back into the envelope.  
  
Downstairs all was quiet, meaning that the Dursleys had gotten over their initial shock of seeing an envelope pop out of their toaster, no doubt planning on the ways to exact revenge on Harry. It would probably be best to stay in his room until night: and Harry did just that. He was happier alone than with the Dursleys at any rate, and there was always the prospect of recieving his birthday cakes and presents from his friends. Laying back on his bed Harry slipped the glasses from in front of his eyes and placed them onto the bedside table, drawing up the covers and gradually falling asleep.  
  
Some hours later Harry woke to an urgent tapping at his window. All was dark and he found himself shivering under the covers: the window had been left open. Sleepily he found his glasses and slipped them over his eyes, glancing to the clock which read eight o'clock. Sitting upright Harry glanced around his room, his slightly unfocused eyes landing on a group of owls and assorted birds by his window, on the table, and in Hedwig's cage. There was one that was unmistakably Hermione's, one from Hogwarts, which presumably had been sent by Hagrid, two very powerful-looking eagles, and Errol, Ron's.  
  
His own owl, Hedwig, rested peacefully in her cage along with Ron's owl. On the floor beside him lay a jumble of colorfully-wrapped boxes, long packages, and several cards. A bright smile lit Harry's features as he stood up and stretched, flicking on the light then sitting back down on his bed. "Wow! Thanks guys." He said to the owls and birds, some of which nodded, hooted, then flew out of the window again into the gathering darkness. Now only Hedwig and Errol remained, looking curiously at Harry. Hedwig hooted softly, as Harry placed all of his presents onto his bed, bright green eyes glancing over each of them in turn.  
  
The first present he opened was from Hagrid, whose enormous box had been wrapped in rainbow colors and tied with a great red bow. Inside was a large cake with green frosting and several packets of candy: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Sugar Quills, and a Blood Lolly or two. The next present was from Ron, who sent him an odd contraption which glowed bright colours and rotated in mid-air while music played. His mother, the red-haired Mrs. Weasley, sent a box full of quince pies and other delicacies. Hermione's present was a book, as usual, entitled "Quidditch Hints and Tips." On the cover was a typical field, and crimson-robed players zoomed this way and that on their brooms, tossing Quaffles about and executing advanced maneouvers. She had sent a cake as well, though sugar-free, and a package of chocolates- also sugar-free. Sirius's gift consisted of an enormous cake with creamy-pink icing and a journal whose cover promised, in glittering letters, that it could record thoughts automatically just by the owner thinking it.  
  
There was one last package left, laying innocently still in its wrapping of plain brown amongst the bright wrapping papers and bows. Harry picked it up and examined it carefully, finding no card to go along with it. Puzzled he slowly tore open a corner of the wrapping, which revealed the edge of something that looked extremely sharp and metallic-looking. Too late he realised that the contents of the package was alive, for it gave a horrendous screech and wriggled out of his grasp, flopping onto the bed, then turning and launching itself at Harry.....  
  
|+| To be continued... |+|  
  
[+] Alright, so I'm leaving it at that. ^-^; Hehe. This fic took several weeks of procrastinating, slacking-off, and a few hours of hard work. R & R people, I shall be extremely grateful if you do.  
  
Sorry, I know that chapter 2 was up for a bit but I've taken it down, the reason being that I need to make some changes to it. Have no fear however, it should be up sometime tomorrow afternoon. 


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